Not One, Not Two, But THREE 10-Foot Sturgeons Caught In Idaho
A lot of people have fishing stories. Most are exaggerated if not completely made up but the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is bringing a reality to some of the BIGGEST fishing stories EVER! Check out these whoppers just caught.
Photo: Joe DuPont
KTVB reports on three extremely rare and extremely large fish that was just caught by The Fisheries Biologists in Hells Canyon.
If you look back on the past 30 years, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has in some way been a part of more than 4,000 fish caught. Out of the 4,000, only 10 have measured more than 10-feet long. And that has happened for more than five years.
Well, the drought is over because these boys didn’t just catch a 10-foot sturgeon. They caught three of them. Absolutely miraculous. When you look at not only the length but the overall weight of these monsters, it’s mind-blowing.
What’s crazy is that these guys were out fishing and nothing was happening. Small bites here and there but they couldn’t get anything going. We’ve all been there, right? Well, what happened next doesn’t happen to most of us.
Joe DuPont was one of these boys trying their luck and catching something worth talking about. DuPont and the guys changed up their fishing strategy. Here’s what he said about that…
“When it launched itself into the air, we all gasped at its size. An hour and 15 minutes later, we boated this monster that measured 10-feet, 1-inch long. Not only was this fish long, but it was also fat. It taped 50 inches around its belly!”
Photo: Cecilia Spangler
The fish were tagged, researched and then let go. After that the men headed down the Snake River to meet up with some others that were out doing research. When they got there, they too had a big one on the line. This one measured out at 10 feet 4 inches long. The picture is below.
Photo: Joe DuPont
Oh, and then it gets crazier. Over the next few days, the guys landed another 10-footer not once, but twice.
A couple of facts about the White Sturgeon
The biggest White Sturgeon sampled was 10 feet 8 inches long and bottomed out a 500 lb scale
White Sturgeon can live to be more than 100 years old
If you want to know how to land one of these impressive fish. Here’s what Joe DuPont told KTVB…
Use heavy line. We like to use 60-pound test mono for the main line with 80-pound test leaders. Although you can fish with heavy braid (150-pound plus), I don't like to use it because when it wraps around fish it can cut into them.
If you hook a big fish, it is important that you follow it closely with the boat. It is almost impossible to land a 10-footer from shore. You will often have to fight fish of this size for over an hour, and if you don't keep the boat above it to keep the line off the bottom, the repeated wear on the line as the fish hugs the bottom will eventually cause you to break it off.
Use big hooks. DuPont says, "I prefer to use 12/0 circle hooks or 'J' hooks 10/0 or larger. I have found that with smaller hooks you often don't get a good bite into their lip, which will make it more likely that it will eventually pull out.
Oh, one more thing. It is ILLEGAL to keep White Sturgeon. If you catch one you must release it. But if you catch anything like these. Please take pictures and get ready to have the Ultimate Fishing Story for the rest of your life.